H.R. 5415: Safeguarding Endangered Children, Unaccompanied and at Risk of Exploitation Act of 2023

118th Congress · introduced 2023-09-12 · Immigration · Latest: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2023-09-12 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Safeguarding Endangered Children, Unaccompanied and at Risk of Exploitation Act of 2023

Plain summary

Safeguarding Endangered Children, Unaccompanied and at Risk of Exploitation Act of 2023 or SECURE Act of 2023 This bill requires regular reports to Congress detailing the status of unaccompanied non-U.S. national ( alien under federal law) children. The bill also rescinds certain funding for the agencies responsible for the report for each day that a report is late. Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation must jointly report to Congress every 60 days on such children that have been in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) since January 1, 2021, and have been released to a parent, family member, or sponsor within the United States. This report must provide each child’s age, sex, location, and detail the child’s health and well-being. Additionally, the report must provide specified information about adults living in the child’s home, such as whether adults in the home have been subject to a fingerprint-based check of national crime information databases. The report must also specify the number of children that ORR has tried to contact without success on at least three separate attempts. The report must be provided for up to three years or until all of the specified children have been accounted for. The bill also rescinds certain funding from HHS, DHS, and the FBI for each day that a report is late. Up to $10 million may be rescinded from each agency for each fiscal year.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Safeguarding Endangered Children, Unaccompanied and at Risk of Exploitation Act of 2023

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] · 30 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL), Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Andy Harris (R-MD), Wesley Hunt (R-TX), Mary E. Miller (R-IL), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Andrew Ogles (R-TN), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Beth Van Duyne (R-TX), Randy K. Weber, Sr. (R-TX), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Tim Walberg (R-MI), Jefferson Van Drew (R-NJ), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL), Michael K. Simpson (R-ID), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Michael T. McCaul (R-TX), Brian Babin (R-TX), Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY), Clay Higgins (R-LA), Tracey Mann (R-KS), Byron Donalds (R-FL), Adrian Smith (R-NE)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] reported raising $797,217 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Fiscal year: The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-118hr5415.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/118/hr>

Record fed-us-cong118-hr5415 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong118 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong118